Dumb Laws of New York
1. It is against the law to throw a ball at someone’s head for fun.
2. New Yorkers cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences, unless they both agree to it. (Thinking of the movie What Happens In Vegas with this one since both characters where from New York.)
3. A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.
4. While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door. (Okay, thats about the most dumb law I've read so far.)
5. Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 PM. (Does this include when your inside your home or apartment?)
6. A man can’t go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.
7. Ice cream may not be eaten while standing on the sidewalk. (But, Susie does it.)
8. Women may not wear high heels while in the city limits. (Good luck with that law!)
9. A law from the early 1900’s prohibits men from going topless on the Boardwalk. (Has that one been abolished, yet?)
10. Raw hamburger may not be sold.
11. If one wishes to bathe in the city limits, they must be clothed in a “suitable bathing suit”. (I found the full text of the law as well which can be read at the web address listed at the bottom of the thread.)
This information was found at http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/new-york?page=0
More can be found at this site for New York as well as other states.
Are there any other dumb laws of New York that people know of?
31 Comments
I love this list! What a great idea for a list. Yeah, we all know there are a slew of dumb laws, but it was really great that you looked up the NY dumb laws.
BTW, I've broken 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 (repeatedly!), and 11...
Also love: "The penalty for jumping off a building is death." Yeah, well.
Haha! These are pretty hilarious actually.
I've probably broken number 1.. though I don't think I was in new york at the time..
Number 2.. hope I dont break this one EVER haha.
Number 3.. No pocket ice cream here!
Number 4.. Uhmmm.. I plead the 5th on this one.. Don't wanna self incriminate!
Number 5.. Don't own slippers :(
Number 6.. Nawwww I always match.
Number 7.. Well.. it wasn't in my pocket this time.. rats this one got me!
Number 8.. Don't own any high heels either..
Number 9.. Topless men huh.. rather not.
Number 10.. Darrrrrrrrn gotta stop selling hamburger.. raw.
Number 11.. No one will know! :D
As for number 8 - WHAT? Seriously? What's the rationale/where does that come from?
Oh, my goodness. I know a number of those rules I've broken. Who in the world made up those dumb laws.
The rules are pretty awesome. Plus, it makes us all rebels, no?
It makes us all criminals, more like it.
Oh, I know I break that HEELS law all the time...wink, wink...
I'm just wondering what other reasons you would throw a ball at someone's head . . . I mean, other than for fun?
@NeverSleeps: I don't know about being criminals. I like the term JenMac used instead, when he referred to us a rebels.
@everyone.: You should take a look at some of the other laws in other states. I read one yesterday for Maryland I think it was, it said "one may not take a lion to the theatre." My response, "He'll just growl at you for not remaining seated and if try to leave, he may just eat you." Another one I read for another state was something to the effect that a particular animal may not eat a fire hydrant. Why would any animal do that?
Thanks for the list Freyja4! its hilarious..here's another mad one on the page-
A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.
Can you imagine how much money the city would reap from imposing that law?..
I noticed that everyone with a gender-neutral name has at one point been assumed to be male. What's up with that? I'd just like to announce that I am a female. Thank you, thank you.
@JenMac I actually have a friend who randomly got hit in the head with a ball when she was walking by the park... I hope it was an accident, but you have to wonder....
I'm a girl.
@Uptowngirl: No kidding. Hey, the citizens would be broke but the city wouldn't be in debt. Only they wouldn't have a cycle of money going through businesses either. They'd be at a stand-still really.
I still can't get over the fact that women weren't let into McSorley's until like the 70's. . . . that's crazy.
@Freyja4: I read you. If flirting was against the law, I would be paying fines quite often.
Maybe if fines were levied for all the dumb laws that are constantly being broken, the city wouldn't be in such a state? Not that I'd be looking forward to all the fines I'd have to pay....
No raw hamburger can be sold? @NeverSleeps That's where the city should start fining vendors. They'll be off the brink of bankruptcy in no time!
I always thought JenMac and NeverSleeps are girls--isn't that obvious?
@JenMac I don't know how they pulled it off at McSorley's to not let women in there for so long. Maybe not all that many women wanted in there in the first place. It's a gloomy atmosphere, unless you're specifically looking for gloomy, in which case it's a great olde bar.
@NeverSleeps uh-oh maybe we shouldnt talk much about these dumb laws god alone knows which legislator may decide that they are a good source of revenue and think of imposing them...
@uttowngirl: Good grief. Could you imagine?
I always thought of @neversleeps as female, too! Somehow - I mistakenly assumed @BroadwayBK and @uraniumfish were male. I'm female, for the record, although the pic should make it obvious, I think
@Ajadeidealist Ahhah! Yea, the picture makes it obvious. Also, I'd like to proudly refer you to the previous discussion of my verbal cojones, and being mistaken for a man. I reeeeeally enjoyed that discussion.
@ajadedidealist You thought I was a boy!!! But I am always complaining about the boys I date. Did you think I was a boy who likes boys? Ha.
Ahahahahaha! I'm a girl too. What is it with us and everyone thinking we're men? I thought my abbreviations like "totes" were a dead giveaway. If a man used the word "totes" I would throw a ball at his head for fun.
@Everyone I was spot one about everyone's gender :) pretty evident from all the various postings ..
@JenMac I second that any man who uses the word totes is no man, and deserves a ball thrown at his head...
@Everybody: You people are so funny. You make me laugh. Well for the record, I am a male, but that is obvious since I stated that in another forum. But since people are talking about gender in this forum, I figured I would add my two cents toward the conversation.
@uptowngirl Me, too! No gender surprises for me...
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